Project Background:
Leeds Castle is a Grade I listed castle, situated on 990-acres of Kentish parkland, which was first recorded in 857 AD.
Built on a pair of small islands with a surrounding natural moat fed by the River Len, the Castle is formed of four separate buildings: the New Castle (1822), the Gloriette (1278), Maiden’s Tower (1522) and Gatehouse (1280’s). These buildings are, for the most part, constructed in Kentish Ragstone with Ragstone dressings and ashlar.
We have been providing Cost Consultancy on the most recent repair works to the South, East and West elevations and roofs of New Castle, in three phases starting in 2018, with the Southwest and West elevations being completed in April this year. This conservation work forms part of a wider preservation project which has already seen the restoration of the Maiden’s Tower, Gatehouse, Moat Bridge, Gloriette and the central façade of the New Castle.
The works for each phase were carried out between mid-October to mid-April to avoid peak visiting and hospitality function times and minimise the impact on Leeds Castle’s operations.
The Works:
Undertaking lime mortar and render repairs over winter is far from ideal, but careful protection measures — including encapsulation scaffolding and temporary roofs — kept the turrets, parapets and masonry shielded from the elements throughout.
The stonework was brushed down and defrassed rather than DOFF cleaned, allowing the new Kentish ragstone to blend naturally with the surrounding masonry while retaining its patina of age.
Earlier repairs to the Castle back in 2014 used imported French limestone for large moulded stonework, considered an acceptable alternative to Kentish ragstone at the time — though it never quite matched the tone of the original, appearing whiter than the surrounding stone.
In later phases, Gallaghers Quarry developed the capability to supply large moulded ragstones cut and dressed to the exact profiles required, and have since enhanced that capability to provide moulded springer stones for the roof structure to the new Sacristy at Westminster Abbey, where our Cost Consultancy team are also working.
The scope of repair has been extensive: across each phase, most turret merlons required rebuilding, alongside widespread replacement of sills, copings and string courses. Window surrounds with failed stonework were repaired, with most window stonework refaced to the glazing line and repaired internally. Repointing was carried out extensively at upper levels, with a more conservative approach taken at ground and first floor.
Restoration of the New Castle and outer Bailey walls remains ongoing, and is expected to continue in phases as funding allows.
